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DOCUMENT TYPE:
Policy
PURPOSE:
To establish requirements for named appointments and discretionary faculty support funded by donors to the School of Engineering and its departments.
APPLIES TO:
School of Engineering Faculty.
CAMPUS:
Lawrence, Edwards
POLICY STATEMENT:
1.0 Purpose and Scope
This policy describes the requirements for determining eligibility, nomination, and selection for named appointments and establishes the levels of discretionary faculty support that are funded through the School of Engineering’s pooled professorship resources provided by the KU Endowment Association. This policy also establishes requirements for review, reappointment, and termination of such appointments. Within this policy, named appointments and discretionary faculty support (Endowment funds) are referred to as “awards”.
This policy does not apply to or restrict appointments or other support granted to School of Engineering faculty from outside the School of Engineering. Regents Distinguished Professorships, Regents Distinguished Research Scholars, and Faculty of Distinction are examples of honorary appointments that are outside the scope of this policy. This policy does not restrict the use of donor funds to support faculty for reasons other than merit, including for faculty startup funds, faculty support, or faculty salary or other support associated with administrative appointments. This policy does not apply to or modify awards made before this policy became effective.
2.0 Award Levels
1. University Distinguished Professorship: Appointment to Distinguished Professor is reserved for those with a truly distinguished record of performance in research, teaching, and/or service as determined by the University Committee on Distinguished Professorships and the Provost. The University’s Procedures and Criteria for Appointment govern these appointments. Appointment to Distinguished Professor provides the holder with annual Endowment funds of $17,500 to be used at their discretion in accordance with Section 6.0, standards established by KU Endowment, and other applicable policies. Continued allocation of these funds is subject to satisfactory performance reviews and continued availability of funds.
2. Named Professorship: This award is granted in recognition of sustained exemplary performance in research, teaching, and/or service. This award is granted on a renewable 5-year-term-limited basis and provides the holder with an honorary title that may be used throughout the award term and annual Endowment funds of $12,500 to be used at their discretion in accordance with Section 6.0, standards established by KU Endowment, and other applicable policies. Continuation of the award throughout its term is subject to satisfactory performance reviews and continued availability of funds.
3. Named Scholar: This award is granted in recognition of exemplary or sustained excellence in research, teaching, and/or service. This award is granted on a renewable 5-year-term-limited basis and provides the holder with an honorary title that may be used throughout the award term and annual Endowment funds of $7,500 to be used at their discretion in accordance with Section 6.0, standards established by KU Endowment, and other applicable policies. Continuation of the award throughout its term is subject to satisfactory performance reviews and continued availability of funds.
Professorships associated with administrative positions: In some cases, a professorship may be provided to the holder of an administrative position. For example, a professorship designed to support the chair of a department may exist. In these cases, the professorship will be provided to the position holder with no additional review process. When the individual is no longer in that administrative role, the professorship will be removed.
Faculty members who hold a professorship associated with an administrative position may also be considered for regular professorships. If recommended and awarded, the disposition of the administrative professorship will be determined by the dean after consultation with the professor.
3.0 Eligibility
All School of Engineering faculty at the rank of associate or higher are eligible for consideration for named scholar and professor awards. All job series are eligible, including tenure-track professors, unclassified academic staff, teaching professors, and professors of the practice. Prior selection for an award is not required and must not form the basis for future award consideration. Faculty may not hold more than one Named Professor or Named Scholar award concurrently; however, they may hold an award granted under this policy concurrently with honors granted from outside the School of Engineering.
4.0 Selection Process
Selection of awardees is based on faculty merit demonstrated through research, teaching, and/or service. Given differences in faculty makeup and performance, maintaining a consistent distribution across departments is not required. All award selection and management must comply with the KU policy on Nondiscrimination, Harassment, and Equal Opportunity and applicable laws.
When an award becomes available, a five-member Selection Committee composed of faculty and/or unclassified academic staff at the level of professor or distinguished professor is appointed by the dean in consultation with department chairs. The Selection Committee must include one member from each School of Engineering department. Selection Committee members are ineligible for new award consideration, although they may be current or past award holders.
When an award becomes available, the dean solicits nominations for awardees from department chairs. Department chairs should rank their nominees. The Selection Committee then considers nominations from department chairs and provides a recommendation to the dean in the form of a rank ordering of nominees based on demonstrated merit in the areas of research, teaching, and/or service. The dean then selects one or more recipients after considering department chair nominations, the Selection Committee’s recommendations, and lawful and appropriate donor requirements set forth in an applicable donor agreement, if any. The dean also may choose not to make a selection.
Throughout the selection process, evaluation of faculty merit must consider the nominees’ performance in each area of research, teaching, and service, with the relative weighting of these areas consistent with the nominees’ appointment type and allocation of effort. Due consideration should be given to cases where excellence in one area of performance has enabled workload offsets in other areas of performance.
5.0 Expectations of Award Holders
Award holders are expected to:
- Continue to demonstrate exemplary performance in research, teaching, and/or service,
- Use the named title in professional correspondence, including on University of Kansas websites and in emails and publications,
- Fulfill the conditions of the donor(s) and any specific duties identified at the time of award, including being available to meet with donor(s), and
- Submit a succinct annual report to the donor(s) to document and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of the gift.
6.0 Limits on Use and Carry-Forward of Unspent Endowment Funds
Award holders are expected to make regular and fruitful use of Endowment funds associated with an award. Endowment funds may be used for a variety of professional purposes, including student support, equipment and supplies, space and renovation, travel, professional expenses, course buy-outs (with chair approval), or summer salary for the faculty member. Use of Endowment funds granted through an award under this policy for summer salary is limited based on the number of months of GRA support the faculty member provided in the prior calendar year:
- Less than 12 mo. of GRA support: Up to 0.5 months of summer salary
- 12 to less than 24 mo. of GRA support: Up to one month of summer salary
- 24 or more mo. of GRA support: No limit under this policy
Allocations of Endowment funds may be reduced or discontinued to prevent accrual of unspent award funds in excess of the larger of either (a) three times the annual allocation, or (b) $50,000.
7.0 Review, Reappointment, Modification, and Termination
Throughout the award term, each department chair must, as a complement to annual faculty evaluations, evaluate the extent to which the holder of an award continues to fulfill expectations of the award (see Section 5.0). An overall rating of “excellent” in two of the past three years may be considered evidence of continued exemplary performance in research, teaching, and/or service.
For Named Professorships and Named Scholars, the department chair must make a recommendation to the dean in the spring of the last year of the award term regarding the merits of reappointing the holder. The dean’s decision regarding reappointment is based on the performance of the holder over the duration of the term in research, teaching, and/or service relative to other candidates; extent to which the holder fulfilled the expectations of the award; and continued availability of funds. Reappointment is therefore not to be expected; it is an honor indicative of continued exemplary performance.
While the rank of Distinguished Professor is not revocable under this policy, continued allocation of Endowment funds associated with a Distinguished Professor appointment that are supported by gifts from donors to the School of Engineering or its departments are subject to satisfactory performance reviews and continued availability of funds.
Awards within this policy may be increased, decreased, or terminated at any time by the dean, as warranted by the extent to which the holder fulfills the expectations outlined in Section 5.0 and the continued availability of funds. Decreasing or terminating an award during its term must not be based on the relative performance of the holder versus other faculty or highly meritorious performance by others.
CONTACT:
Dean, School of Engineering
kuengr@ku.edu
785-864-3881
RESPONSIBLE UNIT:
School of Engineering
APPROVED BY:
Dean, School of Engineering
APPROVAL DATE:
2026-03-04
EFFECTIVE DATE:
2026-03-04
REVIEW CYCLE:
1 year
RELATED STATUTES, REGULATIONS, AND/OR POLICIES:
Kansas Board of Regents Manual (II.C.3.)
CHANGE HISTORY:
03/04/2026: New policy published in the Policy Library.
TITLE:
School of Engineering, Policy on Named Appointments and Discretionary Faculty Support